All the reasons why Arsenal did not make a bid for Suárez

All the reasons why Arsenal did not make a bid for Suárez

By Tony Attwood

For a few hours the story was everywhere. Then as quickly as it appeared, it faded. Arsenal have made a £30m bid for Suárez. It was on the BBC website, in the supposedly more serious papers like the Guardian and the Telegraph, and of course on every blog that supports Arsenal. Then rather quickly it lost its headline position, and the story faded.

So how can we be so sure that this bid did not take place?

First we look at the evidence. The reports of the bid are simplistic in every case, with no background, and no qualification. When a bid is real, the more literate news sources state things such as “A bid believed to be in the realm of £30m.” Here they don’t – it is just a straight £30m in most cases. As the BBC puts it, “it is understood an approach was made and instantly rejected.”

There is no source quoted – not even the “sources close to the club” line that the BBC and others use when someone in the club has given an inside story but asked for the source to be kept anonymous.

Second we look for the likelihood of this happening from an Arsenal point of view. Arsenal are said to be very close to the signing of Higuaín from Real Madrid. Would they put in a bid like this, just at the moment that the other deal was going through? It seems unlikely. As a club Arsenal mostly keeps things close to themselves until the last moment – why would they be shouting out about this event?

Third we look at the player. Suárez is a fine player, but also something of a head case. Whoever has him next season knows he won’t play the first six games. They will also know that one more wild infringement will see him banned for a hell of a lot more than nine games next time. Indeed he is such a headbanger that he is capable of doing anything at any time.

Suárez is also a player who, it seems, has said he wouldn’t mind leaving the Premier League where he feels he is victimised. He is also in a club which is not playing in the Champions League and is likely not to be playing there for some time. Much was made in the last months of this past season that Arsenal needed to be in the Champions League to be able to sign good players – and here is a good player, although a rather strange one, playing way outside the Champions League.

Finally we look for an alternative obvious explanation. There is a scientific principle called Occam’s Razor which basically says if there are lots of explanations around, take the simplest.

The most simple explanation is that someone managed to put out the story as a factual statement, and that Arsenal and Liverpool are in on the hoax.

Certainly both clubs will benefit from this story. Liverpool, because it might well up the value of Suárez. I have read and heard that they are ready to sell him for £50m to Real Madrid. They have, in the story above, said that the offer is rejected – that might encourage some clubs such as PSG or Real Madrid to bid for him. Arsenal because they are saying to Real Madrid, “finish off the deal with Higuaín, or else we will buy Suárez – who you might be interested in.”

In such a case we would expect not a word to come out of either side. As the BBC site says, “Liverpool refused to comment on reports of Arsenal’s move and have previously insisted Suárez is not for sale.”

In fact if an English club buys Suraez then it is most likely to be Chelsea. They paid £50m for Torres and so could do so again.

On this point it could be argued that speculation such as mine, here, then counteracts the ploy of Arsenal, but I doubt that anyone is going to take my word for it. Real Madrid are in daily touch with Arsenal over the Higuaín deal so they know a lot of what is going on – but they don’t know what the state of play over Suárez is.

Real Madrid know the game too, but such is the intensity within the club that there will be pressure to finish off the Higuiain deal and then go on and get Suárez or someone like him as fast as possible.

Of course, as always I could be wrong, but above everything I simply can’t see Arsenal buying a player with a track record like Suárez. Mr Wenger has a record of reforming the playing style of players, and he helped work miracles on Tony Adams lifestyle. But Suárez looks like a step too far.

43 comments to All the reasons why Arsenal did not make a bid for Suárez

Yes absolutely bullshit, but surely every club knows this and if we all can see it then they must too. But if it gets the Higgs deal sped up then anything will do.
Btw are we really going for him, cos its taking so long!

Firstly…story is still up on BBC website and all the others you mention but has been pushed down the list by the small matter of Benteke putting in a transfer request.

Secondly…your conjecture (and subsequent posturing that it has any effect of anyone involved with the game) is representative of rhe worst kind of journalism…opinion posited as fact.

There could be many reasons for Arsenal to put in a bid – finding out market value, highlighting to RM that we’re not afraid to move on to other targets, or, HEAVEN FORBID, that we actually may want the player. There is, too, many reasons Liverpool and / or his agent would put this out there…it let’s the market know that Liverpool won’t be taken advantage of in their transfer dealings regarding Suarez.

You contradict yourself, too…Liverpool confirm that the bid was rejected…and then they’re refusing to comment. Make you’re mind up!

As for Occam’s Razor? It’s more of a philosophical principle than a scientific one and, if you’re going to use it here, it would lead you to conclude only thing.

The loooooongest deal in Higuain….and still waiting. The Gunners are going for their asean tours and still no sight of ‘The H’ factor. Don’t wait until after the tours or else getting new players to blend in with the team will take even longer…
GoGunnes4Eva.

I read the match reports, and compare them to the games I have watched with disbelief the majority of the times as you wouldn’t believe they are reporting on the same event.

So why would you believe anything they write, about highly secretive transfer deals….?

After all the negativeity printed towards Arsenal in the likes of the Mail, why would Wenger tell them top secret infromation?

As for Higuan being the longest trasfer….? we are just over a week into the transfer window…?

Enjoy the lack of football. There is no point in getting wound up about something you have no control over. With the gutter press only printing stories to gain hits on a web site – don’t get sucked in.

I believe this is a made up story.Everyone knows we have money to spend, so the silly season is upon us.This signing would split the support of the fans.He will go to Madrid.They demand a big transfer and lets face it, he would be loved there.We then get Hig.Who is the club that clearly has tapped up Benteke?.We will soon know.My bet the Spuds !One final thing.I reckon there are not enough “A” list players for the top clubs to buy now.We now have Monaco,Dortmund and PSG added to the established others.

name a player in the same class as suarez 4 whom v have any chance of signing….cant c us getting any1 from manu,city or chelsea…nd d same from any top European club…dis guy is class..belongs to the top echelon…nd sadly v dont hav 1 belonging to dat category (santi fells short)…jacks not der yet…v can improve gr8ly vit dis guy…he is an awesome player…KNOW VERY VERY well he brings vit him a hell of a baggage but i feel the gamble is worth it….PRAY DIS HAPPENS…
nd on a lighter note-dont v need a BAAD BOY…??manu hav rooney,chelsea hav terry,city-HAD balotli,tevez…too many 2 name…

This Suarez story sounds planted – by the likes of Ivan Gazidis to divert scrutiny from on-going ridiculous attempts by Arsenal to hand an “impotent” Manager, Arsene Wenger, a new (undeserved) contract. If it’s true that Arsenal are willing to spend this much, there is a 24-year-old live-wire, Robert Lewandowski (at Borrusia Dortmund) who Arsenal could get for less than 30 million pounds. Dortmund, having already sold mid-field maestro, Mario Gotze to Bayern, are reluctant to lose another star to their Bundesliga rivals this summer. Lewandowski has a season left on his contract, meaning Dortmund can do business with Arsenal – a team from the EPL. So Wenger and Gazidis MUST drop this tasteless hood-winking of Arsenal fans with a Suarez hoax – and get to serious transfer business. Besides, the Uruguayan “cannibal” stated that he’s pushing for a transfer from Liverpool to get away from a “hostile” English press. So, when did North London (the home of Arsenal FC) cease being part of England?!

akasuna:higuain is a good striker…no doubt..but suarez proved himself in epl…his overall game is far superior to higuain….nd i feel suarez’s game vil suits us more…d only thing vic bothers me is d 6 games he’s gonna miss….

I’ve no problem with the likes of Sonogo coming in if they are supplemented with the quality we need. However, as usual, the Summer is becoming an absolute joke. I always take any ‘rumours’ with a pinch of salt but reading today that we’ve opened talkes with Gareth ‘turns like a tugboat’ Barry makes me feel physically sick. I can’t think of many players who I would least like to come to us and many others who would so ill fit the way we play. A few years ago I wouldn’t have objected as he was a solid Premier league player, who could do a job, but now he’s an absolute carthorse with nothing to offer. It would be a total waste of £4m + wages. When you consider that we haggle over a million or two for players we actually need, this is a blatant disregard of the wishes of the Arsenal fans. I’ve said before that I will no longer attend home games and,, if this is the quality of signing we’re looking at making, I won’t even bother going away any more. I’m sick of wasting my hard earned money only to see it flushed down the crapper buying sub standard players who will have no impact or benefit for the team.

@gerry
If you take transfer rumours with ‘a pinch of salt’ why on earth are you getting so upset about the daddy of all rumours, Barry to Arsenal? Oh hang on it was in the Star, wow it must have some truth in it!

I imagine that Arsenal have leaked this Suarez story to warn Madrid in the Higuain negotiations that there are other options out there. Arsenal are the only ones seriously in for Higuain and he wants to leave and Madrid won’t keep him if they know he really wants to go but they want a good price for him. Arsenal are notorious for being tight and the deal is being stalled over a few million. If Madrid think that Arsenal are going to look elsewhere they might let him go for a little less just to get rid of him. The fact that Arsenal are ‘attempting’ to go for Suarez is a masterstroke because he is a top target for Madrid and I imagine that if the Higuain transfer gets sealed then Madrid will use that money to go for Suarez.

The last time i checked the transfer window officially opened exactly 7 days ago, can’t understand why some people are panicking. Calm down.

Well said Tony, sums up how I was viewing this whole thing too. This doesn’t bear any resemblance to how we operate in the transfer market. Even the quoted price alone is enough to make me rule this out as a fake story; Arsenal wouldn’t offer that kind of money as a starting bid, unless it was for someone like Messi maybe, let alone Suarez. Unfortunately because its Arsenal its been seized upon by the media to poke fun at us, but like you say, we just maybe keeping quiet about it as this time the rumour is playing into our hands.

@gerry
All teams make the occasional bad signing and of course the type of player Wenger tends to go for (especially in the recent past whilst operating under financial restraints) are far higher risk than buying established stars. The higher the risk the more likely you are to get a ‘failure’ for want of a better word.

I cannot see any difference between stories linking Higuain to Arsenal and those about Suarez. They are all the same to me: gossippy nonsense! I hope for your sake that Higuain does sign (I personally don’t care one way or another). If he doesn’t, you are going to look really bad which will make me sad indeed because I like and respect you.

I find these transfer speculation stories to be a form of addictive sado-masochism. How can ordinarily smart and pragmatic people get involved in this BS? The accuracy of signing predictions must be less than 1%, yet it is so popular among fans that it should be given its own name. The rumour mongers thrive because they have a very enthusiastic audience that is happy to propagate the made up stuff.

I understand the motive of the AAAs and the WOB: float assorted names of players whose 30 second Youtube video they’ve just seen, give unsubstantiated assurances of the players and clubs’ willingness to do business, then moan and groan about Wenger and the board when such players end up signing for other clubs. This happens every year! While I am as bored as the next fan about the lack of action, I refuse to spend my time worrying about things that I have absolutely no influence on.

My apologies if I sound like a broken record here but the whole charade just grind my gears. I think that we gooners should know better based on how our club conducts its transfer dealings: they are always very quiet and they are usually surprising.

Here we go AGAIN! Panic-striken,frustrated,naive and ill informed Gooners making threats to stay at home and never watch the Arsenal again, or menacing Tony with a serious loss of credibility, or worse still, spouting spurious BS headlines from yellow media and journalists as if they were fact.
When are you collectively naive and obsessive-compulsive types ever going to relax and enjoy this off-season pantomime?
How can anyone who is rational and reflective or objective take ANY of this nonsense seriously. My spirit medium told me that we are making a bid for Harry Redknapp’s dog, because at least he can count. Comments on this story please!

If Arsenal have permission to talk to Higuain a fee has been agreed between the clubs, that’s the UEFA agreed transfer process.
If Perez doesn’t sign a top-top-top-top-top striker (Copyright H. Redknapp of Sandbanks, Dorset) he’s going to lose the election. Especially if he sells a top-top-top striker and doesn’t replace him.
If Liverpool can’t get more than £30 million for the man who’s appetite Rodgers publicly praised, they can’t get in one or more replacements for £15 million a piece.

So, Arsenal will have to wait on Madrid signing a Higuain replacement before the deal can conclude, Cavani looks to be joining PSG over Madrid, the ideal substitute for Cavani is his fellow Uruguayan, Liverpool need cash.

Don’t forget, Madrid have deliberately overpaid in the past in order to convince their fanbase of the ‘value’ of their signings. The Kaka transfer is a classic case, was he worth more than Alonso? No. Did he have a Ballon d’Or and a massive price tag to be paraded to the fans? Yes.

A club can ask for permission to speak to a player. This is not dependent on a fee being agreed, you just need permission. Some clubs use that method to extract more of a fee, due to the player already agreeing provisional terms.

A club intending to conclude a contract with a professional
must inform the player’s current club in writing before entering into negotiations with him.

A professional shall only be free to conclude a contract with another club if his contract with his present club has expired or is due to expire within six months. Any breach of this provision shall be subject to appropriate sanctions.

The validity of a contract may not be made subject to a successful medical examination and/or the grant of a work permit.

Not sure what’s wrong with the team that gelled over last season. Add in Podolski, Giroud and Carzola all working on the weak areas in their games from their DEBUT Premier league seasons over the summer, we should hit the ground running.

all the new talent if it comes will need bedding in, at the moment all our key players now have a good understanding of each other compared to the changes in squads and managers elsewhere.

No, our signings haven’t been cock-ups. Chamakh came on a free, and has blistering start to his arsenal career before being overtaken by the Dutch traitor and losing his confidence in the proces. And Gervinho hasn’t been what I would class as a failure. When you look at people who play in his position at other cubs, he’s done well for the number of times he’s been played actually. If you want to look at real bad buys look no further than Carroll, Torres, Shevchenko, Aquilani, Berbatov, City have had too many to mention, etc.

I will tell you why they poke fun at us: they have their own agenda of pushing Wenger out, which they hope to achieve by getting as many fans against him as they possibly can so that the pressure will eventually see AW driven out. If we had not qualified for the champions league this past season that would have been the desired catalyst for them to push AW out. But since that didn’t happen, you can now see(hopefully you are able to see this) that they will try and put the pressure by pointing out his failed signings. You can already tell by the headlines associated with this Suarez fiasco; like Arsenal rebuffed, Arsenal snubbed in £30m…, need I say more? After all this story only came to light not so long ago, and should we really be after suarez isn’t the whole point of making a bid offering a price and negotiating with the seller? The way it is being reported sounds akin to a boy being told by a girl in your dreams, making him look a fool should he consider going back to try his luck one more time. You can sense the poisonous tone being adopted by the media already. Here is a link to one such reports that just shows how they are rubbing their hands, willing us to fail with every one of our bids this summer;

I personally know every off-season will be characterised by this BS, that I don’t pay attention to what these rags say. Already the Higuain tranfser is being referred to by the media as ‘this summer’s long drawn out transfer saga’, but the transfer window only opened a few days ago. If Higuain’s supposed move to Arsenal is deemed to be that, then what should we make of Bale’s possible transfer? What will all these clowns say if Higuain signs tomorrow? You can bet not even one of them will come back owning up to getting it wrong. They will suddenly change their tune/focus, looking for another angle which they know will have the AAA licking their chops.

What you need to realise is the media will always find a way to report our business in a bad light no matter what happens. If we sign players at the start of the transfer window that’s seen as bad, at the end of the window its panic buying. The window still has almost two months before it shuts, but reading some of the comments above one would be excused to think there was only a week left for it to close. Unbelievable.

Remember the similar reports in last January’s transfer window, when the press were slagging us off for not buying Samba, (just the sort of big defender our supposedly weak team was lacking) and being out-manoevred by H Redknapp, who proved his genius by paying a large fee and big wages for this player?

What happened next? I’ve not seen any press coverage. Presumably Samba proved his worth, shored up the QPR defence, led their heroic escape from relegation and is now the foundation for their challenge for a place in Europe next year……..or have I missed something?

Al, you sum it up, the window has only been open a few days. There may well have been an enquiry if not an actual bid for Suarez if the likes of John cross are to be believed, but do not believe Suarez is our target in all of this. The panic seems to set in earlier and earlier.

Samba, yes remember all that about him being the answer to all our teams needs. What absolute bollox that was, some fans bought into it too, probably the same fans who wanted us to sack wenger and bring in Martin o Neil or coyle.

Do not fear Pat we will have other articles coming on Untold in the next days. After all in only 4 days time we will play our first friendly game of the season.
And I hope by then we will we able to really start our referee review of the season…

@AL
Well said.
I still think we are going to get a shock(a good one) when AFC announces their signings. It does seem though that if RM want Suarez and AFC want Higuain, then they will be working some strategy out to satisfy each other, rather than going against each other and both lose out, that said RM would only have a disgruntled player, but AFC would have to look elsewhere, which i’m sure we have already done/is already doing too. Pool is more likely to sell to RM than AFC anyway, unless the money offered is so good, and we know that ain’t happening. Banned for six games? That must reduce the selling price somewhat.